Natalie Portman: Female friendships are important

The 'Black Swan' star insists it is crucial that women stick together in the industry, particularly when they're cast in a movie together as it is something that doesn't happen a lot.

She told The Insider With Yahoo: "It's so important, and we're prevented from it a lot because we don't get to work with each other a lot. I've actually been noticing it a lot even in kids' films recently, how you see even like a cartoon and there's like a girl in it, and we're used to that. It's a film of all men and then there's a woman. And acting for 20 years, I'm used to that - that I'm the woman on set. When we do get the opportunity to work with other women, we always end up just like running toward each other and embracing because it's such great energy to have."

Meanwhile, the 35-year-old actress - who has five-year-old son Aleph with her husband Benjamin Millepied - previously gushed about working with so many "talented" female actresses in 'Annihilation'.

Speaking about her co-stars Jennifer Jason Leigh and Gina Rodriguez, she said: "I'm working with a group of actresses right now who are so kind and talented and funny. We did a scene last night, all night, in which every take was different, and each one real, and we laughed and froze our asses off and played. It was rare energy on a film because there were so many women together. Usually it's all men and each of us is the only woman."